Article Library: Manufacturers

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Singapore Special

This year’s Singapore Airshow could be the biggest yet and, once again, gives the island nation a chance to highlight its aerospace capabilities and its strategic significance as an aviation hub, writes Andrzej Jeziorski. Despite continued economic uncertainty in key markets such as Europe and the USA, demand for new aircraft remains strong – as evidenced by the order and delivery tallies just released by manufacturers Airbus and Boeing (see pages 26-27). Asia’s relatively healthy economies and pent-up demand in China and India are now more alluring to aircraft makers than ever, and all key forecasts for the next two decades show the region as the driver of the continued growth of the global aviation industry. This is encouraging news for the organisers of this year’s Singapore Airshow – the biggest event of its kind outside of Europe.

20th Jan 2012 | Read more

Manufacturers Airbus leads 2011 orders, deliveries

ontinuing concerns about the global economy have not stifled growth in demand for new aircraft, with Airbus and Boeing together collecting about 2,500 new orders and completing more than 1,000 deliveries in 2011, writes Ian Goold. Just hours after Boeing announced plans late last year to close down its plant in Wichita, Kansas, which dates back to the 1920s when it was the Stearman Aircraft factory, the city authorities were on the phone to rival Airbus, discussing possible expansion of the European company's facility there.

20th Jan 2012 | Read more

Manufacturers A380 faces wing-cracking problems

Still recovering from the consequences of an uncontained engine failure on a Qantas aircraft in November 2010, the Airbus A380 programme now faces an issue with wing cracking, writes Andrzej Jeziorski. Four years after entry into service, the Airbus A380 – the world’s largest airliner – is facing a wave of negative press after reports of cracks found in the wings of aircraft operated by Qantas and Singapore Airlines (SIA).

20th Jan 2012 | Read more

Industry Round-Up

Updates from AJ Walter, AgustaWestland, Bombardier, HAECO

17th Jan 2012 | Read more

A350 schedule could slip even further, claims US analyst

US investment-advice consultancy Bernstein Research believes that the new Airbus A350 twin-aisle twinjet may be delayed beyond the manufacturer’s latest schedule, issued in November. The European manufacturer revised its production timetable for the A350 XWB (an abbreviation of "extra-wide body") following delays in sub-assembly deliveries from suppliers in Europe and the USA, pushing the start of final assembly back from late 2011 to early 2012. The scheduled first-flight date for the initial A350-900 variant has slipped from late 2012 to 2013's first quarter, with entry into service (EIS) with launch customer Qatar Airways consequently delayed by six months, to the first half of 2014. Similarly, Bernstein has revised its own, more pessimistic, prediction of A350-900 EIS by some six months to mid-2015, having previously predicted delivery of eight A350s in 2014 and 50 in 2015.

5th Dec 2011 | Read more

Single-aisle contenders line up

Airbus and Boeing’s re-engined versions of their best-selling single-aisle jetliners face competition from a number of all-new designs, writes Andrzej Jeziorski. Airbus and Boeing have both been grabbing headlines and racking up orders with re-engined versions of their market-leading single-aisle aircraft families. With all the attention that has been focused on these manufacturers as Airbus’s A320neo and Boeing’s 737 MAX go head-to-head, it is easy to forget that both those models will be facing emerging competition from a clutch of all-new single-aisle jetliners.

10th Nov 2011 | Read more

Boeing’s 737 MAX gains support

After months of hesitation, Boeing has finally committed to a re-engined 737 in response to the massive success of Airbus’s A320neo. Ian Goold examines the programme

4th Oct 2011 | Read more

Environment - Leading the green revolution

From biofuels to efficient aircraft design to aircraft recycling – the global aviation industry is trying to be as environmentally friendly as possible. Emma Kelly reports on the industry’s green initiatives.

28th Sep 2011 | Read more

Industry Round-Up - Updates from Airbus, Liebherr, ST Aerospace

AIRBUS has transported the first A350 XWB nose section to its plant in St Nazaire from partner Aerolia’s site in Méaulte, using one of the manufacturer’s Beluga aircraft. The A350 XWB nose section comprises three main sub-assemblies: the cockpit plus upper and lower forward fuselage parts, which incorporate door one and the nose landing gear bay. Making the best use of modern, high-tech materials, the A350 XWB nose section is made of 40 percent composites, 55 percent aluminium/aluminium-lithium and 5 percent titanium. Once assembled and equipped, the nose section will be joined to the forward fuselage (made and equipped in Hamburg) to form the A350 XWB front fuselage.

28th Sep 2011 | Read more

Industry Outlook - Airbus predicts strong growth in airliner numbers to 2030

According to European aircraft manufacturer Airbus, demand for new aircraft over the next 20 years will total 26,900 new passenger jetliners and more than 900 dedicated freighters, with the Asia-Pacific region as a major growth driver. The combined value of the new aircraft will be about US$3.5 trillion.

28th Sep 2011 | Read more

Industry Round-Up Sept 2011

Updates from Fokker Services, AJ Walter, Gulfstream

2nd Sep 2011 | Read more

Boeing comes out swinging

So we finally know the answer. For months now, it appeared that Boeing was unable to commit itself to a concrete strategy on the future of its single-aisle product, while Airbus racked up more than 1,200 orders for its re-engined A320neo in the nine months since the programme’s launch.

2nd Sep 2011 | Read more

In-Flight Entertainment

Connectivity and personal entertainment and communication devices have not killed off seatback in-flight entertainment and communications systems, as some had predicted. Emma Kelly looks at how IFEC manufacturers are planning for the future.

31st Aug 2011 | Read more

Boeing prepares for 787, 747-8 deliveries

Boeing Commercial Airplane has been celebrating significant milestones in its latest Model 787 and 747-8 programmes despite having to tighten up its forecast for 2011 output. Ian Goold reports. A reduction in the number of Boeing 787 and 747 deliveries expected by the end of this year (down from 25-40 to 25-30) have prompted the US manufacturer to reduce its overall estimate for 2011 shipments to 485-495 commercial aircraft. Nevertheless, Boeing is approaching the end of the its third quarter on a high, with the handover of the first 787 to Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA) expected on 26 September, coinciding with the start of deliveries the initial four 747-8F cargo aircraft to Europe's Cargolux and Asian operator Cathay Pacific Cargo. Just over 600 days after the 787's maiden flight, systems function and reliability (F&R) testing was completed in mid-August, clearing the way for formal joint US and European certification by the end of the month (see news story, page 7). Enhanced engine performance is already planned for the 787 with development of a Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 "Package B" upgrade and a General Electric GEnx "performance improvement package" (PIP1) under way.

30th Aug 2011 | Read more

Trent XWB prepares for flight

Rolls-Royce has been increasing the momentum of testing in its Trent XWB programme, ahead of the start of flight trials later this year, writes Ian Goold.

22nd Jul 2011 | Read more

Paris Show Report - Airbus raises bar for A350-1000

Airbus and Rolls-Royce jointly announced at an EADS event just before the Paris show that they would develop a more ambitious version of the A350-1000, with 97,000lb thrust RR Trent XWB engines, to meet customer demand. The aircraft will offer customers 4.5 tonnes more payload capability or 400 nautical miles of additional range than the original concept. Airbus Chief Operating Officer Fabrice Bregier said the jetliner could now match the capabilities of the 777-300ER, but with 25 percent greater efficiency.

18th Jul 2011 | Read more

Airbus closes in on A350 final assembly

Progress reports on the production of the first Airbus A350-900 were overshadowed at June\'s Paris air show by the confirmation of a two-year delay in the A350-800 and -1000 models scheduled to follow it.

18th Jul 2011 | Read more

Bombardier’s China optimism grows

In the past two years, Canadian aircraft manufacturer Bombardier has tripled its 10-year forecast for business jet demand in China, and the company’s regional sales chief David Dixon believes those figures are understated. Andrzej Jeziorski reports. As a transportation group, Canada’s Bombardier has had a presence in China for half a century. The company has been involved in numerous rail projects, as well as supplying commercial and business aircraft to customers across Greater China. The company has established a number of manufacturing partnerships in the region. On the aerospace side, major components of the Q400 regional turboprop are being manufactured in Shenyang, while China’s aerospace industry is also a risk-sharing partner in Bombardier’s 100- to 149-seat CSeries single-aisle jetliner, which is expected to have its maiden flight in 2013. With an office in Beijing and a strong customer-s

9th May 2011 | Read more

Rekkof ponders potential F100 suppliers

Amsterdam-based Rekkof Aircraft – which trades as NG Aircraft – expects to involve Tier 1 aerostructures companies in its planned re-engined development of the Fokker 100 (F100) regional jet, says chief executive Maarten van Eeghen. The company has enlisted the help of Fokker Technologies, the former Stork Aerospace group that includes Fokker Aircraft Services, which is responsible for worldwide F100 fleet support. The latter is seen very much as the "housekeeper" of all things F100 and provides a link with the original design.

9th May 2011 | Read more

Eurocopter announces product line upgrades

urocopter announced “a comprehensive evolution” of its helicopter product line at this year’s Heli-Expo 2011 exhibition in Orlando, Florida in March. The upgrades are intended to offer “enhanced operating capabilities, improved mission effectiveness and increased efficiency across four families in the company’s light, medium and heavy rotary-wing aircraft categories,” as the manufacturer responds to evolving customer needs, Eurocopter says.

4th Apr 2011 | Read more

Aircraft Interiors

The good news for airlines over the past year has been a resurgence in demand for air travel, as the world recovers from economic crisis. The bad news is that margins remains – in the words of IATA chief Giovanni Bisignani – “pathetic”. This means carriers must redouble their efforts to maximise the efficiency of their operations and fill as many seats as they can – especially in their high-yield premium cabins. One vital strategy they have had to pay increasing attention to is their aircraft cabin interiors.

4th Apr 2011 | Read more

A320neo lures customers, awakens Boeing.

Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia has modified its fleet plans to accommodate possible acquisition of the Airbus A320neo, thus joining a number of potential owners or operators showing interest in the re-engined aircraft.

1st Mar 2011 | Read more

Asia-Pacific to become biggest aviation market: Airbus .

By the end of the next decade, Asia-Pacific airlines – including those in China and India – will be carrying about a third of the world's passenger traffic, making the region the world’s largest aviation market, according to Chris Emerson, Airbus’s head of product strategy and market forecasts.

1st Mar 2011 | Read more

Rolls-Royce counts cost of Trent 900 failure.

As of mid-February, Australia’s Qantas Airways was still mulling the compensation it would seek after November's grounding of its A380 fleet, triggered by the uncontained failure of a Rolls-Royce (R-R) Trent 900 engine.

1st Mar 2011 | Read more

Boeing again reschedules ‘seven-late-seven’

Following November's Boeing 787 in-flight fire, emergency landing, and subsequent temporary grounding, Boeing has developed a temporary modification for its six test aircraft, which now have resumed test flying. But the manufacturer has also confirmed a seventh delay to the troubled programme, as Ian Goold reports.

28th Feb 2011 | Read more

Boeing rolls out final 747 development

At a ceremony attended by about 10,000 guests, Boeing unveiled what is most likely the final chapter in the history of its 40-year-old 747 programme, writes Andrzej Jeziorski.

28th Feb 2011 | Read more

Airbus’s A350XWB takes wing

Airbus is aiming the new 270- to 440-passenger A350 XWB family at a forecast US$1.34 trillion, 20-year market for 6,240 twin-aisle jetliners, reports European correspondent Ian Goold.

28th Feb 2011 | Read more

In-flight fire compounds Boeing's 787 challenges

The latest setback to the Boeing 787 programme could see entry-into-service pushed back as far as 2012, writes Ian Goold.

13th Dec 2010 | Read more

Qantas’s Airbus A380 fleet remains grounded a week after an uncontained engine failure forced one of the aircraft to make an emergency landing in Singapore.

Qantas now has six A380s in service and 14 more on order.

12th Nov 2010 | Read more

Russia’s aerospace revival

The aerospace industry in Russia is being renovated and developed by United Aircraft, which has absorbed many of the country’s Soviet-era design bureaux and factories.

1st Nov 2010 | Read more

Boeing struggles with fresh 787 delays

Boeing recently announced its seventh delay to the 787 Dreamliner programme as the fleet of uncompleted aircraft at its Everett production site grows

1st Oct 2010 | Read more

General News. September 2010.

A glance at Aviation News. Sept, 2010.

1st Sep 2010 | Read more

Airbus plans A320 life-extension

Having overseen reductions in required maintenance frequency for the A320 single-aisle twinjet family, Airbus is now working to understand the design's ultimate service potential.

11th Apr 2010 | Read more

Asian Aviation at a glance